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DNA Goes Binary

Posted by michael on from the speak-l337 dept.

Anonymous Coward writes "Chemists in the United States have constructed the simplest possible genetic language. Like Morse or binary code, it has only two letters - but it can orchestrate some of the basic molecular reactions needed for life to evolve."

4 of 185 comments (clear)

  1. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  2. Re:Does Morse not have three codes? by pete-classic · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's a synchronous protocol. It is also a binary protocol. The line is either high or nominally zero. A dit is a short interval of current. A dah is an interval of current about three times as long as a dit. A dit length pause represents a space between characters, a three dit pause between words, and a seven dit length pause represents a space between sentences.

    How long a dit is depends on the skill of the operator(s).

    My only qualifications are that 1. I look at a portrait of S. Morse all day* and 2. I can STFW.

    -Peter

    *Really. I'm currently weathering the tech job crunch as a security guard at First Data Corp, of which Western Union is a subsidiary.

  3. Re:Binary computers? How long before base4 compute by Jester99 · · Score: 4, Informative

    The problem is one of line noise. In binary computing, your lines are either conveying a 1 (voltage high) or a zero (voltage nil).

    If you were to go to four states, now instead of having +0V and +5V, you now also have +1.5V and +3.5V representing different states of the quad-bit.

    Fluxuations in the system's power do not easily switch a line from +5 to 0, or vice versa, but could easily switch 3.5 to 5. The more signals you try to carry on a given line, the more suceptible that line is to noise. Obviously, by increasing your max voltage, you could separate your signals more, and take care of it that way, but that's not a solution; you'd be less power-efficient, you'd generate a lot more heat, and all sorts of bad things would happen.

    In short, binary is Simple. And that's why it works. Once you start trying to get into multiple voltage levels, you make things far trickier.

  4. Something even cooler about DNA by frenchs · · Score: 4, Informative

    Ya ya, who cares. I'm a biology minor, and computer science major, and this article wasn't particullarly interesting to me even. ;)

    You wanna see something cool... how about DNA having a parity bit?? Take a peek....
    http://www.academicpress.com/inscight/09112002/gra phb.htm